Assimilate Streamlines On-Set Production with New Software Ecosystem for Live Grading, Video-Monitoring and Dailies

Launches Live Looks and Live Assist Tools to Optimize Camera to Post Workflows

March 17, 2020 – San Jose, CA – Assimilate today announced Live Looks and Live Assist, advanced tools for on-set production, which give media professionals the speed and specialized features for on-set live grading, look creation, advanced video monitoring and recording.

Live Looks provides an easy to set up environment for video monitoring and live grading, supporting any resolution from standard HD up to 8K workflows. Packed with professional grading and FX / green-screen tools, it is straight forward to operate and offers a seamless connection into the dailies and post workflows. With Live Looks and Live Assist being available on both macOS and Windows, users are for the first time completely free to go with their platform and hardware of choice.

Introduction video: See Live Looks and Live Assist overview

Running on anything from a laptop to a full-blown on-set DIT rig, Live Looks provides LUT-box control, supporting Flanders, Teradek and TVLogic devices. It also supports video-io from AJA, Bluefish444 and Blackmagic for image and full camera metadata capture. Direct reference recording to Apple ProRes, makes it the only tool of its kind available on macOS and Windows.

Live Looks goes beyond LUT-box control, the user can process the live camera feed via video-io, allowing for more advanced grading and comparing looks, managing all metadata, annotate camera input and generate production reports. Its fully color managed environment ensures the looks created will come out the same in dailies and post.  Live Looks provides a seamless path into dailies and post with look-matching in SCRATCH and CDL-EDL transfer to DaVinci Resolve.
 

Assimilate brings its high-end grading toolset – beyond Lift, Gamma, Gain and CDL: Powerful Curves, and easy-to-use Color Remapper to Live Looks. On-set previews can go beyond just color to include real-time texture effects like Grain, Highlight Glow, Diffusion and Vignette — all GPU accelerated.

Advanced chroma keying to replace green-screen backgrounds with just two clicks makes for the easiest and quickest way to set up and preview a green-screen set. This ensures proper camera angle, green-screen tracker/anchor point locations, and lighting. As with all Assimilate software, load and play back literally any camera format, including RAW formats such as Red RAW and Apple ProRes RAW.

Live Assist has all of the features of Live Looks, but includes features for basic video-assist tasks. It provides multi-cam recording and instant playback of all recorded channels. It seamlessly combines live grading with video assist tasks in an easy to use UI. Live Assist automatically records camera inputs to file, based on the Rec-flag inside the SDI signal, including all live camera metadata. Live Assist also extends the range of supported “edit-ready” capture formats: Apple ProRes (MOV), H264 (MP4) and Avid DNxHD/HR (MXF).  Operators can also then choose whether they want to record the clean signal, or with the grade baked in.

“We are thrilled to provide DITs and other production professionals with a fast, flexible and easy-to-use software toolset, allowing for more advanced color and look development on-set, while still fitting into existing LUT- and CDL-based workflows. With Live Looks’ intuitive chroma keyer, they can create a live green-screen preview literally within seconds! Both Live Looks and Live Assist provide the first step to establishing more efficient and productive on-set workflows in a complete software environment,” said Mazze Aderhold, product marketing manager at Assimilate.

“Live Looks and Live Assist dramatically increases the crucial speed of color/look execution. When the cinematographer, director and talent are ready to go, they won’t be waiting for the DIT. Both products are fast, efficient and minimalist without sacrificing toolset performance,” said Daren Smith, founder and Local 600 DIT at Radar (www.radardit.com).

“We are excited to see the powerful new Live Looks and Live Assist launch with full support of Flanders Scientific’s BoxIO Color Management device as well as DM series monitors. This furthers FSI’s commitment to integrating with the industry’s leading on- set color management and monitoring solutions,” said Bram Desmet, CEO and General Manager at Flanders Scientific. (www.FlandersScientific.com)

Price and Availability

Live Looks available now, starting at $89 (USD) monthly. Live Assist is also available immediately, starting at $325 (USD) monthly. Both products and free trials are available at www.assimilateinc.com.

About Assimilate

Assimilate offers Live Looks and Live Assist, a tool suite for on-set production, which provides the speed and specialized features for on-set live grading, video monitoring and recording. Its SCRATCH dailies and post-production workflows have proven essential to productivity and creativity in the creation of high-end 2D/3D/VR studio and independent feature films, documentaries, TV episodes, commercials and music videos. SCRATCH is resolution independent, and is first to update support for new formats. Used by DITs and post artists worldwide, SCRATCH is known for its power, stability, speed, groundbreaking and unique feature set, and streamlined workflows for tackling complex projects with ease. Additionally, in SCRATCH VR, Assimilate offers the only professional end-to-end VR workflow and tools for VR360 / 3D and VR180 / 3D, including stitching, Ambisonic sound, and live streaming. Learn more at www.assimilateinc.com.